Time proves I was right, says Benitez

08 September 2011 11:30

Viewed : 391

Rafael Benitez has hit out at Inter Milan for sacking him, saying time has shown he was right.

Benitez lasted less than six months in the Inter hot-seat, winning the Italian Supercup and Club World Cup but leaving the team 13 points adrift of their bitter city rivals AC Milan in the league, although with two games in hand.

Now working as a consultant for Eurosport, the Spaniard surprisingly claims he would consider a return to Inter, not least because he says he has been vindicated.

In December, with his team struggling at the midway point of last season, Benitez said they needed to buy three or four players.

Inter sacked him but then bought four players, improving notably under Leonardo in the second half of the season.

"In life, time can tell you yes or no and if you were right it says yes," Benitez told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"And here I am, it (life) has told me because they bought, showing that they needed to.

"In my pre-season we bought no-one, after me they bought four players and let six go.

"The problem is they needed to do it sooner, to buy and rejuvenate. Had they done that with me we would have won a lot.

"But maybe Inter missed an opportunity.

"It's like Alexis Sanchez (then at Udinese), a great signing for Barcelona.

"I asked for Sanchez in January and back then he would have cost half as much.

"They gave me many promises but they didn't buy anyone."

Benitez didn't go as far as claim he would have won the league had he stayed with Inter but pointed out that one of the club's January signings made a huge impact.

"I honestly don't know (if Inter would have done better) but in January Inter also bought (Giampaolo) Pazzini," he said.

"Do you know how many points Pazzini brought the team, 18. With 18 points, from his decisive goals, maybe I too would have gone a long way."

Despite his bitter experience, Benitez admits he would consider a return, but that may be in no small part to his insistence he will only take a job with a team that could win the Champions League.

"Yes, maybe I would return, but there would need to be some clarification, I don't have problems with anyone," he said.

"It was a great experience for me, I won two trophies in six months and amongst those was the one that president (Massimo) Moratti and all Inter fans had wanted for years, the Club World Cup."

And Benitez says he hasn't been short of offers since December.

"Three teams in Spain, two in Germany, two national teams in Asia and Africa have approached me but let's just say I'm waiting for the right time and the right project."